The objective of this research is to identify the effects of senescence-associated lipid peroxidation on the processes of replication, transcription and translation. These processes will be studied using intact mitochondria isolated from senescent and nonsenescent cells of Neurospora crassa of various ages. The effects of culturing cells in the presence of antioxidants or membrane stabilizers on information transfer processes will be studied. We will also use reconstituted systems of mitochondrial translation, transcription, and translation, and examine the effects of lipid peroxidation on the rate and fidelity of information transfer in the presence and absences of antioxidants.